War Rages On
by Slytherin Rose Weasley
Summary: Follow Lily and James as they battle their way through the first wizarding war. Watch as they find love, face betrayal and have to make the biggest decisions of their lives. Please read and review.
1. Dark Lord Rising

**A/N: So let us embark on another new adventure together. I'm planning on this story running from the beginning of Lily and James' seventh year right up until the day they die. As usual I am not JK Rowling and I don't make a penny from this little hobby of mine. I hope you enjoy this chapter.**

They were all aware that there was some new Dark Lord rising; it was only really for the benefit of any muggleborn first years that Dumbledore gave them his speech on how to make the right choices at the start of year feast. Any of the other students, muggleborn, half-blood or pureblood, would already know the signs. Even if they were a first year. The Muggles themselves didn't know what was going on, but even they knew that there was something wrong. It was always in the Muggle news, mysterious murders or terrorist attacks that nobody took credit for. And then there was the weather. Even in the midst of July, it had been cold and foggy, with non stop rain. The Daily Prophet however seemed to talk of nothing other than this Lord Voldemort and his loyal band of followers known as Death Eaters. After two years of it, Lily was starting to get a bit bored. Couldn't the news report something she didn't know already?

Lily looked over at her fellow Head Boy for this year and repressed a sigh. Of all people Professor Dumbledore had had to pick James Potter didn't he? The usual protocol was to pick someone who had spent the past two years as a Prefect, but that wasn't the case with Potter. It was Remus Lupin who was the male Gryffindor Prefect for their year, and Lily had been sorely disappointed when she hadn't seen the small badge that signified the position of Head Boy gleaming on his chest. She got on well with Remus, and she was one of the few people who hadn't judged hi for his furry little problem as the Marauders dubbed it. She would have enjoyed spending the year working alongside Remus. Maybe she could persuade Professor Dumbledore to change his mind? It wasn't that she didn't trust Potter, she just … well … she didn't trust him.

Lily looked round as her friend Marlene crept into the hall and dropped into the seat next to her. Marlene had been spending some time with Professor McGonagall upon her return to Hogwarts due to her parents having been brutally murdered over the summer. The professors wanted to make sure that Marlene wouldn't be worked too hard. Lily gave her friend a sympathetic smile and hugged her tightly. Marlene was the one person who was always there for Lily without fail, and now she needed Lily to be there for her. It had been a long summer for the two of them, and Lily was slightly annoyed that she hadn't been able to come back from France to be with her friend. All because Petunia was determined to show her beloved Vernon the sights from their little cottage in Brittany.

Lily turned back to Professor Dumbledore, and focused her attention on him once more. Now he had told the tale of Tom Riddle, or Lord Voldemort as he was more commonly known, and his days at Hogwarts, he was pledging the four school houses to stand united once more. There wasn't a problem with unity between the houses as such, Lily could boast having friends from both Hufflepuff and Ravenclaw; it was just the Slytherins who seemed to have a problem with the other students. Lily could say she used to know the Slytherins through Severus, and even then she hadn't particularly liked them. They had never treated her very well, so she tried not to bother with them. All the first years would of course be listening to Dumbledore, their eyes wide, wanting to make friends with each other, but Lily knew that would only last a few weeks at most. Once students became associated with their housemates properly, they sort of shunned students from other houses. Lily wouldn't let her students be like that though, not if she had her way. As Head Girl she would be expected to promote inter-House relationships, she just hoped James Potter would do the same and not start roping innocent first years into his vendetta against the Slytherins.

As soon as the feast had ended both Lily and James made their way towards the podium to greet Professor McGonagall and be shown where their Head common rooms were. Lily wasn't particularly looking forward to sharing a common room with James Potter, but there was nothing she could do about that. As they left the Great Hall Professor McGonagall started briefing them on their duties for the year. They would not only be overseeing the other Prefects, but they were to organise two different dances for the school over the year, and it would be they who would recommend the candidates for next years Head Boy and Girl.

As they entered their common room, James took the chance to envelop Lily in a sudden hug, and she shoved him away. She had hoped that the added responsibility would make him grow up a bit but she had a nasty feeling that he was going to be as immature as ever this year. It was certainly going to be a long year.

**A/N: So what did you think? Please leave me a little review, they not only help me to grow as a writer but I also really enjoy hearing your thoughts on my projects. If you want to keep up to date with what I'm working on then please feel free to follow my writers account on Twitter SRWfanfiction, or follow my personal account MalfoyChristina. **

**I'm not sure when this will next be updated as I have several projects that I'm currently working on, but rest assured I will return.**


	2. Halloween

**A/N: So first off I have an apology to make. My updates are going to be somewhat stilted as we are currently going through a family bereavement, and I need to be around to support my boyfriend and his mother. Much as I love you all they have to be my first priority. I will keep writing though. As usual I am not JK Rowling, and I don't make a single penny from this. I really hope you enjoy it.**

After a month of working with James Potter as the Head Boy Lily could safely say she was at her wits end. It seemed a day didn't go past without there being an incident of some sort, such as Potter asking her out on bended knee in the Head's Common Room, aiding by the Marauders, to him hexing the majority of Slytherin House. How on earth Potter had managed to spike all of their drinks with something that turned their hair magenta Lily had no idea. It had certainly been amusing to watch, but at the same time she was the one who had to pick up the pieces. And now Halloween had dawned, the one day of the year that the Marauders were famous for pranking on.

Lily dragged herself out of bed, apprehensive about what the day would bring. There was an owl waiting at her window, and Lily noticed that it was clutching a copy of the _Daily Prophet_ tightly in its talons. A sense of foreboding filled her, and Lily slowly opened the window, allowing the owl to fly inside. There must be something serious in the news for an owl to have brought her the paper early; it should have come breakfast with the rest of the morning post. Lily paid the owl five Knuts, and took the paper.

She forced herself to sit down on the bed, preparing herself for the bad news that she knew she was about to receive. Lily slowly unravelled the paper and stared at the main headline. It couldn't be true, it just couldn't.

_MASS BREAKOUT AT AZKABAN PRISON_

_In the early hours of this morning it was revealed that ten high security prisoners have escaped from Azkaban. It is currently unknown how they escaped, given the location of the prison, and the lack of damage to the building. _

_All ten prisoners were due to receive the Dementor's Kiss over the next couple of weeks, as is the severity of their crimes. Posters are being circulated around the Wizarding World, and everyone is urged not to approach any of the criminals if they are seen. Instead get a message to the Auror Office and keep your family safe. The Muggle Prime Minister has also been informed, and will be making sure that the Muggle society are aware of the identities of these prisoners._

The rest of the front cover held a range of photos; the standard criminal photos of each of the escapees, and there was also a photo of Azkaban. Lily had never been there, but she shuddered as she looked at the photo with Dementors swirling around the rock. She remembered before she had started Hogwarts of being plagued by nightmares that she would accidentally lose control and be sent to Azkaban. It was only Severus who had calmed her down and made her see sense.

Lily dragged herself down to the Great Hall, knowing what the one topic of discussion would be. Indeed it was no surprise when she stepped through the door, briefly pausing to take in this years' decorations of huge pumpkins, before joining the throng of Gryffindors at her table, all of whom were discussing the breakout. She could see the tense fear on some of the younger students' faces, and Lily realised why her paper had arrived early. As the Head Girl it was her job to raise student moral. She could only guess that Potter had received the same paper, only as usual he was shirking his responsibilities and was nowhere to be seen.

Lily moved over to comfort a second year girl, who appeared close to tears, and wrapped her arms around her. "It's all going to be okay, they'll catch them soon, don't you worry." Lily wasn't too sure about what to say, this year was completely different, and as far as she was aware no one had ever broken out from Azkaban before.

At that moment the four Marauders walked, no strutted, into the hall, James and Sirius flanked by Peter and Remus. The two leaders looked at each with mischievous grins and drew their wands. Suddenly the room was full of fireworks, and Lily couldn't help but laugh. She saw grins crack the faces of multiple students, but Sirius and James weren't done yet. They had also cast a complex charm that was causing several of the Slytherins to turn into people of the opposite gender. The Marauders waited until the fireworks display ceased and made their way through the hall up to the High Table where the teachers were seated. Lily could see that a few of them including Professors McGonagall and Dumbledore were struggling to hold in a grin. They all bowed and Lily caught up with Potter as he left the Hall.

"Are you coming to disapprove of my actions Evans?" he asked her as she caught up with him.

"Not at all, that was a great display, although I think we could have done without turning the Slytherins into other people." Lily smiled gently, showing that she really didn't disapprove of Potter's behaviour for once.

James smiled in return. "Well we had to find a way of boosting student morale today didn't we? What with the Azkaban breakout and everything. I think I did a pretty good job of that."

**A/N: So what did you think? Please leave me a little review; they help me to grow as a writer and I love hearing your feedback.**

**I'm not sure when this will next be updated because of everything that's going on, but I will return.**


	3. Explosions

**A/N: So here's the third chapter. I've decided that each chapter will be a key event from each month in the story, and this will continue up until the night of Lily and James' deaths, with maybe an epilogue afterwards. As usual I am not JK Rowling, and I don't make a penny from this. I hope you like this chapter.**

November 1977

The air was rent with screams and Lily found herself being thrown forwards, her wand flying out her grasp. The air was thick with smoke and flashing lights, and Lily found herself choking as she struggled back to her knees. Looking around Lily tried to find her wand. Maybe now wasn't the best time to attempt it, but she could try using wandless magic to summon it. Wandless magic was tricky to perform at the best of times, and attempting it whilst stressed probably wasn't the best idea. But without her wand Lily wouldn't stand a chance of getting out of here alive. She needed her wand in order to fight and protect the younger students of Hogwarts.

Focusing all of her energy, Lily tried to imagine the flow of magic that would usually connect her wrist to her wand. Trying to picture that flow of magic, Lily imagined that she was one with her wand. That was the secret of performing wandless magic, at least in theory. If you were one with your wand then you didn't need your wand in order to be able to perform magic. That's why it was so important that you didn't try using another witch or wizard's wand. Because you needed to be in harmony with the core of the wand in order to perform the complex magic. Lily scrunched her eyes up tight, focusing on her wand, muttering "Accio wand, accio wand," over and over, until she could feel that it had worked. Eyes wide, Lily was still slightly stunned when her wand soared into her outstretched hand.

Re-armed Lily turned round, checking that her friends around her were okay. They'd all been on a normal trip to Hogsmeade when suddenly they found themselves surrounded by Death Eaters. Lily had been one of the few students who realised what was going on, casting both defensive charms around them, and cursing those who were about to attack. James and Remus had both focused their energies on trying to evacuate the younger students. For that Lily was grateful, she knew they were both skilled wizards, but neither had combative magic as their strength. Better that Lily was the one organising the ranks of students who could fight, and leave Potter and Lupin to save the younger students.

Lily saw Marlene engaged in a battle against two Death Eaters, her jaw set, wand slashing through the air. Lily pushed through the throng of students, some of whom were injured, to help her friend. She darted in, throwing a curse at the nearest Death Eater, and moving so that she was back to back with Marlene. That way they could cover one another, and it would take some pressure off of both of them. Lily and Marlene both dodged hexes, swirling around and firing off curses of their own, watching as some of their classmates fell. Lily threw up as many shield charms as she could, not just for her and Marlene, but for the students nearest to them as well. A shield charm wouldn't protect them from major curses, but it would repel the weaker ones, sending them back in the direction of the attackers.

Lily suddenly found herself flying through the air once more as another explosion ripped the world around her in two. She scrambled again, determined that an enemy wouldn't find her lying on the ground, only to feel something pressing down on her back. Lily twisted her head to see Alecto Carrow stood behind her, a mixture of a snarl and a manic grin on her plain face. Alecto had always been rather mannish, and she had a lot of brute strength, strength that was now coming in very useful pinning Lily to the floor. The younger girl could do nothing but watch as Alecto drew her wand and pointed it in her direction, a flash of red heading towards her.

Lily couldn't move, couldn't dodge the Stunning Charm which was headed in her direction, but before she closed her eyes two realisations hit her. One: she must be wanted by Lord Voldemort for some purpose; otherwise Alecto would have tortured and killed her, instead of firing off a simple stunner. Two: James Potter was trying to save her again. She heard his shout, heard him scream her name, and saw him moving towards Alecto, wand in his hand. She really should give Potter a chance one of these days.

**A/N: So what did you think? Please leave me a little review; they really help me to grow as a writer and I love hearing your feedback.**

**LilyJamesAlways: Thanks for your review, it's nice to see that someone's been reading this. I know there's not much dialogue in this chapter, but I wanted to focus on the action of a battle.**

**I'm not sure when this will next be updated, but I will be back when I can.**


	4. A Quiet Christmas

**A/N: So I'm back with another new chapter, and a cold to boot. I hate being ill. Anyway after all the high tensions of the last chapter I thought this one should be a little more relaxed. As usual I am not JK Rowling and I don't make a single penny from this. I hope you like it.**

December 1977

Lily stretched and looked around her room. She missed Hogwarts and she missed her friends. After the battle that had taken place in Hogsmeade last month, Lily had been sent home early. The teachers knew that Lily needed time to recover from her injuries and that she might just want to get away for a while. Lily hadn't expected the teachers to let her go, but James Potter of all people had taken her case forwards, and he'd spoken first to their Head of House, and eventually he'd spoken to Professor Dumbledore. Lily had found herself on her way home later the very same day. Part of her though was itching to get back to school, and she was really worried about getting behind on her coursework.

An owl tapped on Lily's window, and she quickly crossed the room to let it in. The last thing she needed was for the neighbours to see an owl delivering mail in their suburban neighbourhood. It dropped a letter on her bed and after soaring twice around the room, settled on her desk. Lily picked up the letter and as she recognised the writing on the envelope tried to steady her shaking hand. She slowly slipped her fingers under the gap and tore open the envelope, unfolding the letter.

_Lily,_

_HAPPY CHRISTMAS! There now we've got that out of the way, how are you? And don't give me any of that I'm fine rubbish. You know I won't believe it. I want to know how you really are. I didn't get much of a chance to see you after everything that happened and I just wanted to check that you're okay._

_Anyway I was wondering if you were feeling up to coming over for Christmas dinner? Don't worry it'll just be as friends, and Sirius and Remus are both going to be here as well. I know you've probably got stuff planned with your family, but the offer's there. Just let me know yeah?_

_Anyway I'll let you get on and I'll hopefully see you later,_

_James_

Lily sat there pondering whether to accept James' invitation or not. Sure enough she was supposed to be having dinner with the family, but the only topic of conversation would be Petunia's upcoming wedding, and that wasn't something that Lily really wanted to discuss. And it wasn't like going over to the Potter's for Christmas dinner constituted as a date either, not when Remus and Sirius would both be there as well. Making up her mind, Lily ran downstairs to ask her parents if she could go and spend Christmas with James. Sure they'd be disappointed that she was bailing on them, but they'd understand.

Later that day Lily turned up the Potter's in Godric's Hollow and she marvelled at the house. She had expected, given James' general attitude that he lived in some huge mansion, so she was pleasantly surprised to see a small cottage with a thatched roof. She pushed open the gate and knocked on the door, wondering what to expect.

The door swung inwards revealing a pale faced Remus, whom Lily immediately enveloped in a hug. It had been the full moon a couple of days before and it was clear that Remus was still suffering the after effects from his transformations. He pulled away and flashed her a grin, before dragging her inside. He showed Lily into the lounge where James and Sirius were both sat with a glass of Firewhiskey each. James came over, a lazy smile on his face, and hugged Lily tightly. Sirius remained sat on the floor and raised his glass in Lily's general direction, tipping a small amount of liquor on the floor, and Lily got the feeling that this wasn't his first glass.

She soon found herself seated on the sofa, curled up against James. They were all laughing, and Lily broke into a wide grin during a game of spin the bottle when Sirius snogged Remus. The pair pulled apart and both of them were grinning widely, and they sat back down together, Sirius' arm draped possessively around Remus' shoulder. Lily took another drink, and James moved away from her. He left the room and returned with a small present.

"Noooo, no, no, no. No presents," Lily tried to protest. James however was persistent and Lily took the small box from him, unwrapping the present with apprehension. She hadn't expected to be exchanging presents with the boys, and yet here James was giving her gifts and inviting her round for Christmas. Oh dear he liked her didn't he? The realisation shocked Lily to the core and she almost dropped the half unwrapped present. She quickly turned her attention back to the task at hand, and finished unwrapping the present. There nestled inside a box was a beautiful blown glass lily, with colours ranging from a white centre right through to blue at the tips of the petals. It was beautiful. "Thank you, James I love it," Lily said, with heartfelt meaning.

James smiled, pleased that Lily liked his gift. He nestled back down next to her on the sofa, drink in hand. He wasn't going to ask her out, not yet, but he was glad he'd given her a good Christmas.

**A/N: So what did you think? Please leave me a little review; they really help me to grow as a writer and I love hearing your feedback.**

**I'm not sure when I'll be back, but hopefully it won't be too long.**


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